Iron



Jan. 1, 1924 H. MITCHELL ET AL IRON Filed June 2. 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 1WITNESS:

ATTORNEY Jan. I, 1924 1,479,729

H. L. MITCHELL ET AL IRON Filed June 2. 1922 2 Shets-Sheet 2 munmmnmmINVENTOR NESS:

Patented Jan. 1, .1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HERBERT L. MITCHELL AND JOHN W. SLATE, OF WALNUT COVE, NORTH CAROLINA.

IRON.

Application filed June 2,-

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that We, HERBERT L. MITCHELL and JOHN WV. SLATE, citizens ofthe United States residing at Walnut Cove, in the county of Stokes andState of North Carolina, have invented new and useful Improvements inIrons, of which the following is a specification. v i

This invention relates to improvements in electric irons, the generalobject of the invention being to provide means for breaking the circuitto the heating coils of the iron as soon as the handle is released bythe operator, thus preventing the iron from being overheated and doingdamage by failure to cut off the current when the iron is not beingused.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for preventing thecurrent from being broken when the handle is released by placing theiron upon its end, thus providing means for initially heating the ironwithout holding the same in the hand.

This invention also consists in certain other features of constructionand in the combination and arrangement of the several arts, to behereinafter fully described, ilustrated in the accompanying drawings andspecifically pointed out in the appended claim.

In describing the invention in detail, reference will be had to theaccompanying drawings wherein like characters denote like orcorresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which Figure 1is a side view of the invention.

Figure 2 is an end view.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view.

Figure 4 is an enlarged detail view of the switch means.

Fi re 5 is a diagrammatic view of the circuit.

In these views 1 indicates the. body of the iron and 2 the handlethereof. The terminals are shown at 3, said terminals being connectedwith the heating coils 4 in the usual manner, though in carrying out theinvention we place a pair of spaced contact blocks 5 in the connectionof one terminal with the coils, The adjacent faces of these blocks areinclined to rovide'a tapered space 6 between them. I X pin 7 is movablycarried by a bushing 8 which is secured in the rear part of the body ofthe iron by the nuts 9.

1922. Serial No. 565,490.

The inner end ofthis pin is adapted to enter the tapered space 6 andengage the inclined faces of the blocks so as to bridge the space andelectrically connect one block with the other. This point is insulatedfrom the rest of the pin, as shown at 10. The head of the Inn isprovided with a groove 11 to receive the forked end of a spring strip12.. This strip is looped upon itself, each limb of the loop having ahand grip connected therewith, and then the strip is bent to form one ofthe supports for the handle, the other support being formed by a strip14. Thus the hand grips are held in spaced relation by the looped partof the spring strip and this strip will hold the pin in its outwardposition so that its inner end will be out-of engagement with thecontact blocks. \Vhen the handle is gripped by the hand of the user thetwo parts of the handle will be pressed together and this action willcause the forked end of the spring strip to move the pin inwardly sothat its ends will engage the contact blocks and thus complete thecircuit to the coils when the terminals are electrically connected witha source of supply. The current will continue tofiow as long as thehandle parts are pressed together but as soon as these parts arereleased the spring strip will move the pin outwardly and break thecircuit to the coils. Thus there is no danger of the iron becomingoverheated when not in use through the operator forgetting to turn theswitch. lVhen it .is desired to permit the current to flow when the ironis not being used it is simply necessary to turn the iron upon its endwhen the weight of the parts resting upon the pin will force the pininwardly. causing its end to engage the blocks and thus complete thecircuit to the coils.

It is thought from the foregoing description that the advantages andnovel features of the invention will be readily apparent.

We desire it to be understood that we may make changes in theconstruction and in the combination and arrangement of the severalparts, provided that such changes fall within the scope of the appendedclaim.

What we claim is An electric iron of the class described comprising apair of blocks located within the iron, one of which is connected withthe heating coils and the other with one of the terminals, a bushingcarried by the body of the iron, :1 pin slhlably carried by the bush-.

ing and having one end adapted to engage the blocks toelertricallyconnect the blocks 5 together, a movable handle part, a spring stripconnecting said handle part with the other part and having a portionconnected

